I'm Giada Valenti an Italian singer and songwriter from Venice Italy. In my blog you will find everything Italian, music, food, fashion and more. But you will also find everything about the USA and its lifestyle and read about my adventures in this wonderful country and more about my music and life!

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Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Ferragosto : an Italian day of fun and traditions.

Today, August
15th in Italy we celebrate Ferragosto. It is an Italian National holiday that combines
both its ancient Roman and Catholic roots. Ferragosto also marks the
semi-official start of Italy's summer holiday season.

It’s the day Roman
Catholics celebrate the Assumption of the virgin Mary into Heaven - the day
when Catholics believe Mary ascended to heaven "body and soul" after
the end of her life on earth.

However, it
was a holiday in Italy long before it took on a religious significance.

Ferragosto
comes from the Latin Feriae Augusti (the festivals of the Emperor Augustus)
which were introduced back in 18 BC, probably to celebrate a battle victory,
and were celebrated alongside other ancient Roman summer festivals. These
festivities were linked to the longer Augustali period - intended to be a
period of rest after months of hard labour.

Most of the Italian cities on Ferragosto are much quieter than usual.It’s traditional to use the August
long weekend to take a trip, usually escaping the heat at the seaside, lakes or
mountains.

During the
era of Fascism, the regime would organize trips with special offers for the
13th-15th August, the idea being that the less wealthy social classes would get
the opportunity to visit a different part of the country, and even today there
are often discounts on packages for the Ferragosto weekend.

On Ferragosto
even in major towns and cities, everything from bank to post offices to public
transport are closed. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, Ferragostoalso mark the start of Italy's holiday
season, meaning you'll see 'chiuso per ferie' signs popping up
all over the place.

However,
unlike many other public holidays, on Ferragosto many museums and cultural
sites remain open. So it’s an excellent time to visit major attractions such as
the Colosseum, Pantheon of Galleria Borghese if you’re in the capital, or one
of the many museums and sites across the rest of the country.

If you decide
not to visit one of those cultural sites, there's still plenty to do on Ferragosto.

Many towns, have processions carrying statues of the Virgin Mary
through the Centre of their cities and the churches will have special services
marking the Assumption.

If you're in Rome not to miss
id the Gran Ballo di Ferragosto with live music and dancing in thepiazza. Streets, squares, corners, alleys—anywhere with a square meter will set up an amp and some speakers and take its position as one of the hundreds of ambassadors of the Gran Ballo.

Every square has something different to offer, from the most grandma-disapproved hip hop to honest-to-goodness country line-dancing. Larger squares will host dance performances all day, starting with local after-school programs and getting more and more professional (or absurd) as the sun goes down.

Most importantly, this massive dance party’s theme is participation, so if you hit the streets, you’d better be ready to get your own personal dance on.and a new tradition for the city of
Pavia that is also hosting its own version this year.

Many coastal towns will
hold fireworks displays in the evenings. And this year is set to be sunny
wherever you are in the country, so you can take advantage of the quieter
streets to explore.

Buon Ferragosto a tutti,

Love,

Giada

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